Yankees top prospect Clint Frazier gets a haircut

Andrew Marchand is a senior writer for ESPNNewYork. He also regularly contributes to SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight, ESPNews, ESPN New York 98.7 FM and ESPN Radio. He joined ESPN in 2007 after nine years at the New York Post. Follow Andrew on Twitter »

Just the other day, I talked with top outfield prospect Clint Frazier, his red mop of hair flowing, and I asked him what he has learned so far at Yankees camp.

“How to be a better teammate, how to be a better Christian man, how to fit in with the guys," Frazier said.

In his first Yankee camp after being one of the two main cogs in the Andrew Miller trade last July, Frazier, just 21, sticks out because of his hair, his big social media personality and his "legendary," as GM Brian Cashman puts it, bat speed.

Many in the Yankees' organization have told him, though, before you can be a media star, it is better to be a great player. In other words, try to fit in.

To that end, Frazier visited the barber Friday morning. He wanted to shear away any distraction the locks may have caused. His hair -- a topic of discussion not that popular with manager Joe Girardi -- was apparently within the team's not quite totally defined hair policy. Now, Frazier is making it a non-issue.

"It started to become a distraction," Frazier told reporters in Tampa on Friday. "I like my hair but I love playing for this organization more."

Frazier said he consulted with Girardi and others before making the decision.

In some respects, it is not that big of a deal, but the Yankees, as much as they don't like to discuss it, have maintained the George Steinbrenner no long hair, no beard policy. So when reporters ask about it, it is fair game. The Yankees make the rules, not reporters.

By Frazier making his hair less of a story, it may be a sign of more maturity, as he tries to fit in.